Minister of Police Bheki Cele in Cape Town early this week. Photo: SAPS/ Facebook
Action Society: “Cele is sending cops to their deaths in Western Cape”
Action Society says these brave officers don’t stand a chance in the worst affected areas in the Western Cape.
Minister of Police Bheki Cele in Cape Town early this week. Photo: SAPS/ Facebook
Action Society believes that Police Minister Bheki Cele is sending good police officers to their deaths in the Western Cape as many areas are consumed by gangsterism.
WHY ACTION SOCIETY BELIEVES POLICING IS AN INAVITABLE FAIL IN WESTERN CAPE
Outnumbered, understaffed, and under-resourced, Ian Cameron, Director of Community Safety at Action Society, says these brave officers don’t stand a chance in the worst affected areas such as Delft, Gugulethu, and Khayelitsha.
“Even if all the police officers in these areas were good cops, they would still be outnumbered by more than 700 to one, according to police statistics.”
Cameron
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CRIME STATS DEPICT A GRIM REALITY
According to Cameron, Cele has not only failed to protect the public but also the many good cops who have died under his watch as the country sees a spike in police killings. According to the latest crime statistics, over 30 police officers were murdered in the past three months alone. Most of these cops are being killed in areas where they are most needed, leaving those communities even more vulnerable.
“In Harare, there is only one police officer for every 879 people. According to the 2021/2022 figures (provided by the Western Cape Police), the ratios in Khayelitsha, Samora Machel, Gugulethu, Kraaifontein and Delft are all almost double the national average of one police officer for every 413 people. In Khayelitsha the ratios are 1:628, in Samora Machel 1:778, Gugulethu 1:773, Kraaifontein 1:721 and in Delft 1:711.
“It should be common sense that the police-to-population ratio in gang-ridden areas should be double than the national average. It should also be common sense that the police officers deployed in these areas must be experienced, should receive special training and should be equipped with the necessary resources to take these areas back from the criminals that are running the show at the moment. Instead, Cele is planning to deploy more than 2 000 new recruits, fresh out of the academy into a warzone. Cele is sending these young cops to their deaths and he knows it,” he detailed.
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IAN CAMERON ON UNDER-STAFFING IN THE POLICE
He said besides being outnumbered, police officers in these areas are severely under-resourced.
“Most of this can be blamed on corruption within the police, political interference and incompetent appointments as a report from the South African Crime Intelligence Unit showed that multiple vehicles (worth a total of R100 million) were left unused at multiple police stations,” he explained.
